I would imagine there are plenty of you guys who hunt in the spring with a long box in addition to your regular call arsenal. I am interestd in how you play it, when do you run it, do you use it after a gobbler responds to it, do you primarily use it (yelping & cutting), to locate and then switch calls, have to tinkered with a LB during the off season to search for subtle clucks, tree calls, feeding sounds?
I have had some interesting conversations lately with other call makers and we suspect most guys don't experiment much with a LB as opposed to a SB, or their favorite pot call. As mentioned recently, a LB is very diverse and offers a slew of turkeys, male and female.
I generally carry one box with me at a time. So I'm all in with whichever it is.........long or short. I always have a diaphragm in my cheek. But if I start a bird with a box.....long or short......I'll finish him with it if I can. Has a lot to do with the terrain, set-up, concealment and the particular bird's willingness to commit suicide.
Carried the same long box for two decades spending countless hours learning every centimeter of the rails. To the OP's point, that's where the long box really shines.
Its my first call of choice, about 85% of my spring calling is with that long box and about 95% of my fall calling. If I'm hunting alone I'll set it down when the bird is 75 yards out, soft clucks on a trumpet or mouth call. If I'm calling for someone else, I'll run the long box start to finish.
Guess lots of hunters consider a long box as just a long distance locator, and then use it that way. But the soft talk, and the number of different turkeys on each rail - young hen kee kees to gobbler yelps and gobbles, and everything in between, makes long boxes an outstanding spring and fall caller.
There's nothing a vest full of calls can do that a good long box can't.
"There's nothing a vest full of calls can do that a good long box can't."
Couldn't agree more with that statement...
The amount of realistic turkey talk in a boat paddle is endless, "soft" or with slightly more volume..
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After buying a good long box and learning how to use it a few years ago my short boxes don't get out that often. But I still carry one.
Most always a short box will have a higher pitch yelp and sharper clucks. Your long box because of size is just going to have more paddle to the rail than a short box. Your long box is just going to have more turkeys in the call. Your short box is always going to be easier to play than a long box and in most cases always easier to carry while hunting. The short box is going to purr where most long boxes can't make a good purr. With your long box your going to have more range in your high to low sounds with your rollover. Your short box is just down sizing from a long box with a lot less playing surface paddle to rail in my opinion. You have to give up something with each of them in easy of play and what sounds you want from each call. So i will choose a short box over a long box for my style of play. But again, i have nothing against a long box, but in the heat of battle i feel i can play thru the short box with less mistakes especially during the spring season. The fall season is a little different. IMO... Good post culpeper ....
I almost always carry a shortbox and a long box. I use both the same way. I agree most long boxes have more sound variability. But I do have short boxes that can kee kee, gobbler/Jake yelp, old hen and Jenny yelp too. So a lot depends on the box itself.
I have longboxes that are screaming loud but I also have short boxes just as loud. So I don't see any reason to not use either interchangeably at any point during locating or calling in.
I've had a lot of success using both a longbox and a shortbox at times during a day's hunt, sometimes using both while working a single bird.
Quote from: Zobo on March 16, 2022, 10:45:27 PM
........... I don't see any reason to not use either interchangeably at any point during locating or calling in.
I've had a lot of success using both a longbox and a shortbox at times during a day's hunt...........
^^^^^^^^^^
In a nutshell. Yep.
Quote from: boatpaddle on March 16, 2022, 05:15:26 PM
"There's nothing a vest full of calls can do that a good long box can't."
Couldn't agree more with that statement...
The amount of realistic turkey talk in a boat paddle is endless, "soft" or with slightly more volume..
^^^^^^^^^
AND this.
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 16, 2022, 05:54:33 PM
Most always a short box will have a higher pitch yelp and sharper clucks. Your long box because of size is just going to have more paddle to the rail than a short box. Your long box is just going to have more turkeys in the call. Your short box is always going to be easier to play than a long box and in most cases always easier to carry while hunting. The short box is going to purr where most long boxes can't make a good purr. With your long box your going to have more range in your high to low sounds with your rollover. Your short box is just down sizing from a long box with a lot less playing surface paddle to rail in my opinion. You have to give up something with each of them in easy of play and what sounds you want from each call. So i will choose a short box over a long box for my style of play. But again, i have nothing against a long box, but in the heat of battle i feel i can play thru the short box with less mistakes especially during the spring season. The fall season is a little different. IMO... Good post culpeper ....
I have multiple long boxes that purr much better than a short box. It all in how they are tuned.
I don't use a long box in the field but have a few and I have one by Albert Paul and the Screaming Hen and both have springs under the lid which I like because it is easier to play and don't have to manipulate the lid to get a good sound out of it.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944640204_865219b88e_c.jpg)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n9aRPk](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944640229_12421b0940_c.jpg)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n9cmsb](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944931670_37ee1eb9d4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n9aRNU)
Quote from: Yelper on March 17, 2022, 04:00:36 PM
I don't use a long box in the field but have a few and I have one by Albert Paul and the Screaming Hen and both have springs under the lid which I like because it is easier to play and don't have to manipulate the lid to get a good sound out of it.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944640204_865219b88e_c.jpg)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n9aRPk](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944640229_12421b0940_c.jpg)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n9cmsb](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944931670_37ee1eb9d4_c.jpg)
(https://flic.kr/p/2n9aRNU)
Springs on a longbox, training wheels ....... :TooFunny:
All kidding aside, Billy Bush and Tim Fralick make nice longboxes with springs too.
Idk why anyone carry's a short box. A long box does all of it better imo and much more. It a more versatile call. I don't even switch. Call em right to gun with it.
I'll find out this season. I purchased my first longbox from ET Calls and am impressed with the versatility of the call. Given all the different pitches and tones I can get out of it I see myself hunting a lot lighter this year. Plan is the Longbox in a holster and a mouth call in my shirt pocket. Hope it works out. I tend to try to carry everything but the kitchen sink when I wear a vest.....
Quote from: rong on March 20, 2022, 08:24:16 AM
I'll find out this season. I purchased my first longbox from ET Calls and am impressed with the versatility of the call. Given all the different pitches and tones I can get out of it I see myself hunting a lot lighter this year. Plan is the Longbox in a holster and a mouth call in my shirt pocket. Hope it works out. I tend to try to carry everything but the kitchen sink when I wear a vest.....
This is the way to learn to run a longbox from start to finish. With a vest full of calls you may be tempted to switch to something else, when you just have a longbox you have to bear down and pull the versatility out of it. Good luck this spring!
I'm still on the learning curve with a beggin machine and am getting better. If my health holds up I'm going out this year with a real nice box call from Whole Grain Box Calls. it has a real high, sharp front end with a sharp raspy bark on the back end. The hard part is softer calling but I'm gettin there. Just won't be going out much this year. Health problem to take care of. But a couple of trips to the turkey woods will be good for the heart and mind.
My Culpeper made LongBox is my favorite call. It's the one I always carry. I don't think I'm great at playing it, but I like it and it works. I can cut loud to locate, and yelp, but after that I'm a little bit limited...but I like playing it and get responses. I do switch though to a slate when they get closer though, maybe this year I'll try not to switch.
Quote from: greencop01 on March 29, 2022, 07:50:26 PM
a couple of trips to the turkey woods will be good for the heart and mind.
There's no doubt this is true, best of luck to you!
Quote from: greencop01 on March 29, 2022, 07:50:26 PM
I'm still on the learning curve with a beggin machine and am getting better. If my health holds up I'm going out this year with a real nice box call from Whole Grain Box Calls. it has a real high, sharp front end with a sharp raspy bark on the back end. The hard part is softer calling but I'm gettin there. Just won't be going out much this year. Health problem to take care of. But a couple of trips to the turkey woods will be good for the heart and mind.
Being out there...engaged with the woodlands, the song birds, the turkeys, listening to the morning awake, it's what it's all about. Now and then don't be afraid to put very light finger pressure on a sound rail and run the box short, just getting the roll-over...experiment in the off season, you would be surprised of all the great turkey sounds
Quote from: Haymarket on March 29, 2022, 09:16:35 PM
My Culpeper made LongBox is my favorite call. It's the one I always carry. I don't think I'm great at playing it, but I like it and it works. I can cut loud to locate, and yelp, but after that I'm a little bit limited...but I like playing it and get responses. I do switch though to a slate when they get closer though, maybe this year I'll try not to switch.
As Packmule and others have said, there are a lot of excellent turkey sounds in a LB. Try very short strokes near the middle right where the roll-over occcurs, you will be surprised to find a very similar sound that a scratch box offers. Also try short abbreviated strokes toward the back end and you can find some great grovelly yelps and clucks and like a SB, you can put light, real light pressure on a sound rail and get clearer yelps...all in hopes of bringing that gobbler closer or getting him to break